CHAPTER 443: CHAPTER 441 AUTOMATIC RELOAD

At this moment, the belly of the Taunting Wind Fighter was opened, and several researchers were gathered around the automatic loading system inside the missile bay, discussing something.

Apparently, the grand upgrade process just now was nonexistent for these people.

Chen Xin didn’t deliberately ask anything; he just walked to the side of the aircraft. The researchers stopped their discussion and greeted Chen Xin.

Before Chen Xin could inquire, one of the researchers proactively said to him, "Academician, we were just discussing this automatic loading system. Since you designed it, do you think it can be applied to other aircraft?"

"Applied to other aircraft? Why do you have that idea?" Chen Xin looked at the questioning researcher and instead of answering, he asked him back.

Faced with Chen Xin’s counter-question, the researcher responded directly, "If this device can be applied universally, wouldn’t all our fighters be able to carry double the missile capacity? That way, we could gain more advantages in aerial combat!"

Saying this, the researcher’s eyes showed a hint of excitement.

However, Chen Xin poured cold water on his enthusiasm: "Setting aside the weight of the whole loading system, when fully loaded, it occupies most of a fighter’s space. The Taunting Wind Fighter can have a missile bay in the fuselage because it doesn’t need a fuel tank.

For other fighters, their structures are already very compact, requiring external fuel tanks for combat, leaving no space in the fuselage for this system.

Even if forcibly installed, it would only increase takeoff weight, slow down flight speed, and be useless in actual combat."

Chen Xin’s words visibly dimmed the researcher’s expression. He realized that things were indeed as Chen Xin described.

If more ammunition could be carried, past aircraft designers would not have overlooked such things. Even if it couldn’t be made automatic, they would have created more hardpoints on the fuselage.

Yet, the researcher still felt a bit unwilling, as increasing aircraft missile capacity could indeed effectively enhance firepower.

But not every fighter is like the Taunting Wind Fighter, capable of foregoing fuel tanks and only installing a reactor.

Even if other fighter jets were converted to nuclear electric propulsion, factors such as body structure and layout still constrain them from fitting automatic loading equipment inside.

The researchers understood these issues but still harbored some imagination facing the automatic loading device in front of them.

Unfortunately, this imagination is doomed to fall short. Moreover, Chen Xin seemed to think that wasn’t enough, intentionally stating: "Besides, I’m not satisfied with this automatic loading system; it was just because there was room in the cabin that I casually put something like this system in.

In actual tests, pilots felt that this system wasn’t very functional, so I plan to redo this system, or rather, the entire missile launching component."

"Redo? Then what do you intend to do, Academician?" Another researcher, hearing Chen Xin say this, asked curiously.

In response, Chen Xin rubbed his chin and said, "Everyone has seen rocket launch pods, right? What do you think about creating a missile launch bay similar to them?"

"Uh... this...," the researchers looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Rocket launch pods and missile launch bays may resemble each other in some aspects, with little structural or theoretical difference, but fundamentally, they are different items.

Moreover, rockets launched from pods are generally small in size, which allows them to fit inside such a pod.

Even the smallest of missiles have their size, and while fitting them in a similar launch bay is possible, it makes for quite a large structure.

Understanding the researchers’ expressions, Chen Xin grasped their meaning.

Conventionally, only warships could house a missile launch bay since land-based missiles are usually one missile per launch vehicle, easily accommodated on land.

Hence, only warships or aircraft might have such a need.

Warships are large enough to load ample missiles, while aircraft are not. Even small missiles can’t be carried in large numbers.

The Taunting Wind Fighter is an exception, yet even if Chen Xin modified the missile loading structure inside, it would only increase missile capacity marginally and make launching cumbersome.

While everyone was in a quandary, a nearby ground technician suddenly asked, "Actually, this structure is quite unreasonable; perhaps the rack could be designed like a traditional bomb rack, launching one missile at a time, like a magazine?"

Having said so, the technician found everyone turning their gaze toward him.

This made the technician somewhat embarrassed, thinking he might have said something wrong.

However, Chen Xin didn’t criticize and continued rubbing his chin. He walked underneath the fuselage, looking up at the automatic loading mechanism and the opened missile racks on both sides. After a moment of thought, he said, "That’s a pretty good suggestion. If the missile bay could be modified into a magazine-style rack, with the side racks replaced by launch exits, loading one after firing one could indeed allow for more ammunition compared to the current structure."

"But wouldn’t that mean only one type of ammunition could be carried, affecting combat flexibility?" A researcher nearby thought along Chen Xin’s lines, finding issues that needed resolution.

"That’s easily solved—two more launch exits on the back, split the missile bay into two parts; the middle portion feeds the back exits, and the side portions feed the side exits, allowing for two types of ammunition." Chen Xin thought for a moment and then provided a solution.

Hearing Chen Xin say this, the researchers discussed briefly among themselves and found the concept quite feasible.

Thus, one of them asked Chen Xin, "Academician, do we need to revise the missile bay on the Taunting Wind Fighter according to this plan?"

"Come up with a design plan for me to review first. There’s no rush to modify the missile bay. Once your plan is ready, I’ll examine it before deciding on actual alterations." Chen Xin was in no hurry to take action himself; instead, he instructed the researchers to create a plan.

Although the modification would be simple for him and obtaining a practical alteration plan is merely a matter of thought, Chen Xin wasn’t a professional. It was better for the researchers to devise a plan and for him to improve upon their professional proposal.